Jose Gonzalez

Chris Budd here from the desk of Indie Music Filter, officially marking this day as the 10th anniversary of when I started this blog. This hobby-turned-monster-of-an-experiment has been quite a ride (so far) and I still kind of feel like I’m only just getting started.

I took a long look back through the archives, wondering if there would be a way to sum up 10 years in a playlist. Would I be able to keep it under 100 songs? Well, here’s my best attempt in this “Indie Music Filter Turns 10” playlist.

I made a massive list of my favourite artists and songs; those heavily covered in the 4,900 posts on this site since 2006. A list of 350 songs became 192 and after a few more passes, I hit the 100 mark. These songs leftover were the ones that still to this day move me, the ones that have left that lasting mark.

Also, I had no intention of spending days crafting the perfect order (and didn’t want to rank the songs in order of which I liked the best), so I randomized the order. Et voila!

But before you go hitting play, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the people that have contributed to this blog over the years, as well as a huge thank you to you, the music fan. What keeps me going is when I hear back from someone about a great song they heard on my blog, a playlist they shared with friends, or a new artist they became a fan of, because of something that was posted here. Thanks to those that RT, Like and share in helping me get the word out.

The year is coming to a close and I’m sitting here looking back on another year of blogging; another year of so many great tunes.

It’s always a challenge to try and sum up your year in one playlist. Here’s my best attempt, with my favourite songs of 2015 (via Soundcloud, Spotify, Youtube and new streaming site Playmoss). In my playlist I feature the likes of Leon Bridges, Day Wave, Big Data, Jack Garratt, Steven. A Clark, and many more.

*Note: This is not meant to be a Top 50 list where #1 is my favourite song. I love them all the same, plus the songs had to go in some order.

And, the playlists are up! Check out what rocked in January, via all your favourite platforms (Rdio, Soundcloud, Spotify and Youtube). This past month started off 2015 in a great way with some killer tunes from Favela, Satellite Stories, Hey Rosetta!, Kagu, The Barr Brothers and many more.

Here’s the video for recent single “Leaf Off / The Cave” by José González, off the upcoming album Vestiges & Claws (due out on Mute on February 17 on Mute). Directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson (Junip) and shot in Gothenburg, Sweden, it was inspired by the “Godless Church” of the Sunday Assembly movement, where people come to gather to sing, talk and build community based on “wonder and good”.

This one’s more my speed. I liked “Every Age” when I heard it a few months back, but now when I go back, I find the track a little too sleepy for my taste. “Leaf Off / The Cave” is the latest single from José González’s upcoming album Vestiges & Claws, out February 17, 2015. I today get the option of hearing the song the way it appears on the album (below), or from a recent performance with an eight-piece band and 27-person choir on Sweden’s popular award show, P3 Guld.